Hiu Tung’s practice research develops existing theories of cuteness by conceptualising it as a sensibility from an autoethnographic perspective.
For her, growing up in a Hong Kong household, love was mainly expressed in material provisions. Cute objects were given as gifts, conditional rewards, and comfort objects, along with high expectations and “tough love”.
Cuteness was ingrained in how she lastingly understands care and discipline – it became a sensibility that permeated beyond conventional cute objects and its affective influences beyond childhood.
Through conceptualising cuteness as part of how one understands love and hurt, Hiu Tung explores how intergenerational unprocessed experiences contribute to one’s emotional wounds and shape her sense of belonging; she investigates the entanglement of cuteness and sentimental objects within family dynamics, through a reflexive practice of creative writing, wearable sculptures, and photography.
Subjective accounts of Hiu Tung’s upbringing and cultural background as a Hongkonger underpin this research, which expands into autoethnographic observations on the social commonalities of East Asian cultures.
